The Journey
by Underwater Dreaming
Summary: Sometimes, the journey is greater than the destination. Oneshot


Yes, I should probably be updating things like Symphonic Journey or Palingenesis… But I just haven't been inspired for much of anything.

I'll probably do another _Tegami Bachi_ something or another. Lag/Gauche probably.

xx

I can remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday.

The day I met you for the very first time.

It was a day just like any other day. Nothing unusual. Just the same old. _So boring._

The room was nearly empty. No-one to talk to. Nothing to look at. Just dust and more dust.

I was sitting in my usual spot upstairs, when I heard a knock on the door.

Footsteps creaked down the stairs. My mother, probably. I hear voices downstairs, then the door opened. It was my mother. She took my hand and led me downstairs

Hair of pure white and eyes like gleaming crystals of amethyst. A sharp uniform of blue, and a long, white scarf. Beside him, a silvery dog watched, alert.

My mother greeted the man at the door, nodding at the dog, and then nudged me towards him. Taking my hand, he pulled me to his side. He smiled down at me, and we left town like that.

The trek out of town was tiring. Up the hill, down the hill, and back up again. But it was filled with

At night, camp was set up and a fire lit. The stars sprawled above us, not a hint of rain to be seen. Roda, as I learned, was the name of his canine companion. The man, however, had remained a mystery in terms of his name.

The next day was much of the same, though the hills eventually plateaued out into a vast, barren landscape. Sand crunched underfoot as we marched through, a bit of sweat trailing down his neck from the heat of the day.

It was on the third day that things changed.

We were in the desert, and it was about midday. The wind picked up slightly, and he'd pulled up his scarf to cover his nose and mouth. Hat pulled down to cover his eyes, all that could be seen was a thin glint of purple.

As we walked, Roda began to growl. Pausing to look at her, there was no time to escape the suddenly sliding sand. Eventually, there was a huge pit in the ground, and at the bottom, a huge monster.

_Buckers,_ he said it was. Weakness: head. Though it guards it carefully with pincer like claws, resembling a beetle. Roda shot off, leaping at one of the pincers and clamping down with her teeth.

As it roared and tried to detach her, a shout rang out, and a fierce beam of light slammed into the head of the beast, letting out a bright light as it lost all tension and fell to pieces, eventually fading into nothing.

He checked on me as Roda hopped off the rubble, and approached us. After being assured of my well-being, he leant down to lavish love and affection on her.

We managed to crawl out of the hole, sagging in relief at the top and continuing on our way. It was a short lived reprieve. As we headed over a small dune of sand, it gave way underneath us. Caught off guard, we ended up separated.

Half-way buried in the sand, he pulled himself free and leapt for me, grabbing me in his arms, one of the pincers catching him on the side.

He was covered in cuts and scrapes, but he never let me go, not once. With me in one arm and his gun in the other, he shot another beam of light into the head of the beast.

Thankfully, we didn't encounter any more of them that day.

The last day of our journey, we arrived in town. Asking directions from a nearby villager, he headed to a small house. A knock on the door opened it, to reveal my aunt. With a smile, he nudged me towards her, and she took my hand.

A few words were exchanged between them, and he turned to leave. I wanted to reach out, to call for him to stay a little longer, but—

He turned, and he left, the ever loyal Roda at his side. No words could escape, and he vanished from my sight as my Aunt led me inside.

Now, years later, I sit in my new home, in my new room.

It's not much different from my old room. It's quiet, and dusty, and there's no-one here. It's boring, but every day I think back to the man with the pale hair.

Though I never even learned his name, I thank him from the bottom of my heart.

_Because he delivered me home safe and sound._


End file.
